Train My Heart Read online

  “No. I want to watch you.”

  Lost in her gaze, he felt his plan slipping away. This was to be a quick roll-in-the-couch not a conquest, not a loss of control with exquisitely controlled movements. But he was lost. Watching him, she stayed with him. He murmured her name over and over as a prayer, or a plea, he didn’t know. He quickened his pace. When he came apart she moaned, wrapped her legs around his waist and held on. They rode the storm out together and slumped into an exhausted, satiated pile of arms and legs, heaving lungs and sweating bodies.

  A moment before Galli’s cold, wet, wiggling nose touched his left buttock, Brand mumbled, “So, was it good for you?”

  * * *

  Dixie didn’t even have time to snort before Brand launched himself up and back, exposing her damp skin to the air conditioning and deafening her with his shout. The sight of Galli grinning at his pseudo-master told her what happened.

  “It wasn’t that good for me,” she said holding back her laughter.

  “How did he do that?” Brand demanded. His head whipped around. “Wha—”

  She cracked up at the look on his face. “Oh, oh, you should see your face!” she managed to squeak out.

  His crooked grin promised retribution. “Think that was funny?”

  “Um, not really?”

  His head turned from side to side. “Your laughter calls you a liar.”

  Dixie planted her hands on the couch beside her hips. She was going to have make an escape, sooner rather than later. His tell was his face. A subtle twitch and she pushed with both her hands to scoot off the end of the couch. She hadn’t figured on his other hand grabbing her ankle and holding on.

  Trapped! Laughter was her only hope. Brand had other ideas. He tickled her and her laughter turned into wild whoops. Sitting up to close the distance between them, she bumped right into Galli who decided he should join in the fun.

  Brand tried to push him back but the dog flopped down across Dixie’s stomach.

  “Oof.”

  “Get off, you oaf!”

  Galli, true to his nature, even in the presence of naked humans, rolled over to slurp Brand’s face.

  Struggling to hold the dog off, Brand managed to ask, “Are you all right?”

  Giggling like a school girl, Dixie nodded. “I’m fine as long as he doesn’t step on my—aah!”

  Brand managed to get to his feet and peel the dog off her. “What did this idiot dog do?”

  Helpless with laughter, and both hands covering her crotch, she could only shake her head.

  “Are you bleeding?” Brand held the dog off and started examining her stomach and breasts. “Did his nails, uh…” He blushed as he tentatively pointed at her hands.

  She caught her breath. “No, but it was a close thing.”

  Brand shook his finger in Galli’s face. “You’re an overgrown idiot. It’s your body. You should know exactly how big it is and how heavy it is.” Gently, he knocked on Galli’s head. “Is there anything in that great head of yours?”

  Galli panted and gazed adoringly up at the frustrated man. And did the only thing he knew. He lifted his paw and held it for Brand to shake. Which Brand did.

  And her heart went splat. Who could resist a man who looked like that and was built like that? Add in his exasperated love for his cousin’s dog and, there you have it.

  He was compassionate and kind to the gangly puppy that had disrupted his life. He was critical of his ex-fiancées but he hadn’t maligned them. He took the blame on himself for not seeing more clearly, or reading their signs more accurately. He held Perry in esteem while giving her pointers on how to handle the situation.

  She was in “l” with Brand Taylor. Not the big l of course. Just a little one.

  “Back to my original question.”

  “What was that?”

  “How did he get in here?”

  “He followed us in.”

  “He never comes inside if he can avoid it.”

  “Well, he was on our heels as we came through the door.”

  “Where was he until we…” He made a vague movement at the couch.

  “Until we made love?”

  He cleared his throat. “Yeah.”

  Her throat tightened at his hesitation. The gentleman who wouldn’t shove the hot, raunchy sex in her face. Oh, dear.

  “He was curled up on the floor at the end of the couch.”

  “You mean he watched us?”

  She laughed. “I don’t think he was interested in what we were doing until we started to laugh. That made him think it was playtime. So he joined in.”

  As if suddenly realizing he was still naked, he snatched up his shorts and jerked them over his hips. Dixie took his cue. She walked to the bedroom and returned with a short robe belted at her waist.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” Brand said.

  “You covered up.”

  A frown marred his face. “I don’t really like going around naked.”

  “You have a wonderful body.”

  He scratched his cheek and turned away. But she saw the tip of his ears go pink. God, who wouldn’t love a man like this? Love with a small l.

  “I was a scrawny kid.”

  Dixie hid her smile as she walked up to him. She reached out and felt his arm. “Oh, honey, things have changed.”

  He grinned and his ears glowed red. “You’re just saying that.”

  “Damn right I am.” She unbelted her robe.

  “You’re doing that to distract me.”

  She turned and let the robe slip down to her elbows. “Damn right I am,” she repeated as she strolled toward her bedroom door. Just before disappearing from view, she let the robe slip to the floor. “Is it working?”

  She smiled when she heard him follow her down the hall.

  * * *

  The click of claws on the floor had him shutting the bedroom door behind him. No more surprises. And stop revealing all your secrets, you moron.

  Dixie was currently hiding only one of her secrets. She lay on the bed with her hair spread over the pillows. With her arms over her head, her breasts were pulled taut and rose and fell with her breathing. One leg was bent in such a way as to hide the secret entrance to Paradise, the Hidden Pearl, the Secrets of the Universe.

  What the hell am I thinking? Her leg is hiding her pu— God, no. I can’t even think that. He took a deep breath.

  Am I in over my head? Have a fallen for another woman who may or may not break my heart?

  But he’d been without a serious girlfriend for over a year now. A man had needs, didn’t he? If he’d wanted to be celibate he’d have joined the priesthood.

  “You look distracted.”

  I can do this. Keep it casual, stay relaxed.

  He deliberately unsnapped his shorts and slowly pulled the zipper down. His erection popped out and did the rest. The shorts hit the floor.

  “My, my.”

  “Ditto.” Brand approached the bed. He sat on the side and ran his hand down the middle of her body. She smiled and twisted against his touch. With her hands still above her head, he eased himself down on top of her. He started kissing her lips and her face. Moving to her neck, he licked the indentation at the base of her throat where her heart thundered. He touched and feathered his way along her length until he could kiss her belly button. Sliding lower, he separated her thighs and ran his hands along the tender skin. Her scent was driving him wild. Allowing the reins to slip a bit, he tasted her, pressing hard against that sensitive flesh. She moaned and twisted again.

  “Please.”

  “You want more?”

  “Yes.”

  He gave her more. He played with the small and large secrets of her body, and plied every skill he had. She thrashed and vibrated through her first orgasm. Holding her hips up, he entered her in time to share her pleasure. His steady, forceful thrusts raised the temperature. Tension built steadily. When the release came, it was as intense as the buildup.

  Brand, panting agai
n, slumped to one side. Dixie lay still except for her chest rising and falling like bellows as she caught her breath.

  As his breathing slowed and his mind cleared, he realized he was hungry. For food this time. I’ll take her into town for dinner. Then we can come back and… Had he learned nothing? That was date and involvement material. Relationship 101.

  He didn’t want a relationship. They were hard work. Especially for someone like him who made it a habit to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. He misunderstood what women did, what they said, what they implied and what they wanted. A woman he liked showed up and his brain disconnected. God forbid he should love her. His heart had permanent scars from getting kicked to the curb. With Dixie Rose cuddled next to him, he wondered how big a scar she would leave. And she would. They always did.

  But what could he do about it now?

  His cell phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, he sat up and grabbed his shorts. The phone was in the back pocket. Answering, he dropped the shorts on the floor.

  “Hello?”

  “Brand, it’s Mayor Lennox. What’re you doing this afternoon?”

  Well, he couldn’t answer that one honestly now could he? “Uh…”

  “Doesn’t matter,” the mayor said. “I think you’re going to want to join me at City Hall.”

  “I am?”

  “Your permit came through!”

  Brand sat up straight. It was happening, really happening. He hadn’t really doubted it but having it actually happen right now…

  Am I going to jump from Dixie’s bed and race into town? He shut his eyes. It was the perfect distraction. The whole afternoon could be written off as an anomaly, a one-afternoon stand. He could live with that. He could.

  “Mayor Lennox, that is fantastic! Thanks for calling me.”

  “Come on down to City Hall and pick it up. I’ll be waiting.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll be right there.”

  He clicked off the phone and working on plastering a big smile on his face, he turned to face Dixie.

  “My permit came through!” He stood up and grabbed his shorts. “The Mayor is waiting for me at City Hall. I have to get there quick.”

  He pulled his shorts up as his heart fell. Could he really just up and go? Dixie’s face didn’t reveal her feelings. Leaving the bedroom, he almost tripped over Galli, who was curled up outside the bedroom door.

  “Move it, dog,” he muttered. He gathered his things and turned to see Dixie in the doorway wearing the little robe. He froze.

  “You’re just going to fuck and run?”

  Flabbergasted at her language, he could only stare. He finally spoke. “It’s not like that, Dixie. I just, uh, have to go.”

  “I’m sorry, Brand. That was crude and uncalled for.”

  He dropped his shirt and shoes and went to her. “No, it’s okay. I know it upsets you about the ski rental shop.”

  He could read her face like a book now. He’d said something wrong. But then she smiled.

  “Want me to watch Galli while you’re gone?”

  Relationship 102: asking the woman you were running out on, moments after getting out of her bed, to watch your dog is girlfriend territory.

  “No, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

  Again, a quick flash of the you-said-the-wrong-thing face. “I didn’t think so. So I’ll see you…later?”

  “Yeah. Later.” He picked up the rest of his clothes and headed for the door. “Come on, Galli.” He opened the front door.

  Galli hesitated then trudged through the door. He looked forlornly over his shoulder at Dixie then went outside with his head hanging down.

  Brand closed the door and pulled his shirt on. Hopping on first one foot then the other, he got his shoes on.

  “What are you complaining about?” he asked Galli. “You’re not the one who had sex with her and ran like a scared puppy.”

  Chapter Seven

  Dixie was disgusted with herself. First she’d had sex with the man who was building an environmental disaster on her doorstep, then she acted like the spurned girlfriend.

  “God, what am I doing?”

  She tossed the robe on the bed and went to take a shower. Yeah, she’d had some good, hard, sweaty exercise already today, but she felt like she needed more. More of something.

  Putting on her hiking boots, she considered her options. She could take Blues out for one-on-one time in the woods or she could drive into town and set fire to Brand’s permit.

  Hike? Or burn? Oh, hell. She wasn’t a pyromaniac so she’d have to settle for the hike. After dressing, she got Blues out of the kennel and they headed for the woods. Hound that he was, Blues ranged far ahead, then returned to check on her. He loped through the thin woods looking for something to tree. For a while he played chase with a skinny Florida squirrel at the top of his game. Blues came back panting and laughing at himself and the world. It was all in the eyes when talking about dogs.

  Brand Taylor wasn’t a dog but his eyes were as accurate as a teleprompter. Passion made them dilate. Anger made them almost crystal-like. And regret made him hide them which he had done as he left to get his permit.

  She picked up a pine cone and threw it as hard and far as she could. Blues took off after it. She let her shoulders slump. So she’d been dumped. It wasn’t the first time.

  “Actually, it is the first time.” She slapped her hands on her hips. “What did we just have? A one-day stand?”

  Past relationships had ended amicably and mutually. She didn’t like confrontations and tended to be attracted to laid-back men who weren’t looking for anything permanent.

  “Permanent? Brand didn’t last six hours!”

  Blues came back with a stick. Dixie chuckled. “Too many pine cones?”

  She gave him a rub and turned back home. Blues pranced ahead proudly carrying his stick. He showed it off to the other dogs when they got back to the kennel. Dixie let them all out and was very pleased to see Champ tugging on Blues’ stick.

  “Good boy, Champ! Good boy!”

  Playtime stretched to a couple of hours. Dixie was able to clear her mind and forget she was most likely waiting for Brand to get back. Dinnertime came and went. She didn’t kennel the dogs until her stomach grumbled. As she locked up the outside door, she glanced toward Brand’s house.

  The SUV was there and the lights were on. Brand was not visible.

  “Well, shit on you,” Dixie muttered. Determined not to get upset, she strode into her house and went to the kitchen. It was all blurry but she wouldn’t admit to herself it was due to the tears pooling in her eyes. It’s sand. That’s right. I live on a beach. She wiped her eyes and searched for something edible.

  * * *

  The next week flew by and dragged at the same time. For Dixie, it was dogs, dogs, dogs. Baby’s owner came to pick him up and stayed for the mandatory four-hour lesson with the trainer, Dixie Rose. Baby behaved as long as Dixie was nearby. The minute she disappeared from sight, Baby reverted. Of course the owner reverted to cootchie-coos and baby talk which did not help. Dixie knew damn well if she had had the owner around for all of Baby’s lessons, Baby would be much further along in his training. As it was, all she could do was emphasize continuing Baby’s training and implore the owner to stop the baby talk. The little old lady assured her she would follow directions and promptly cootchie-cooed the little tyrant while carrying him to the car.

  “What can you expect when the woman names her dog Baby and promises num-nums?” She and Blues watched as the Mercedes pulled away with Baby in the driver’s lap. “Oh, well.”

  She turned back to the kennel and hurried to answer the phone she’d left inside. Maybe it was Brand…

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, little sis. How’re things?”

  “Cash, hi.”

  “Don’t hurt yourself greeting me warmly, now.”

  Dixie laughed. “Sorry. I was expecting someone else.”

  “Must be a fella. Want to call me back later?
”

  “No, no, I don’t think he’s going to call.”

  Silence greeted her declaration.

  Finally, big, protective, eldest brother, Cash, spoke in his not-quite-faking-it, I’ll-tear-him-apart voice. “You need me to come down there and teach this fella some manners? I’ll be there in six hours.”

  “No,” she said with a laugh. “I can take care of it. But thanks.”

  “You sure, baby?”

  This time she groaned. “Please don’t call me baby. I just got rid of a Chihuahua named Baby who is a tyrant and gets his num-nums from his ‘mommy’.”

  Cash’s laugh boomed across the phone. “Whoo-ee, you sure know how to pick ’em.”

  “Baby was signed up by Perry’s last manager. Did you hear—”

  “About Perry giving you the kennel? Yeah. Mom and Dad told me.”

  “Mom and Dad know? How? Perry asked me not to tell anyone.”

  “Perry may be a millionaire but he’s not as cagey as he thinks. How could he keep all his gifts secret when Mom does his books?”

  Dixie chuckled. “Maybe he is as cagey as he thinks and just doesn’t want public thanks.” Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, she changed subjects. “Can you believe there’s a guy here who wants to put a jet ski rental store right next to my kennel?” Her voice trailed off as she realized just who she had brought up.

  “Yeah? Who?”

  She could do this. It’s just one conversation with her brother. That’s all. “He’s going to rent jet skis and scuba tanks.”

  “Jet skis? Really? I’ve always wanted to ride one of those things.”

  That’s all she needed, her brother and her ex-lover bonding over engines and salt water. “Stick with your tractor. It’s safer and makes a contribution to society.”

  “Huh?”

  “Never mind, Cash. Listen, I have to put the dogs up and feed them.”

  “Yeah, sure. Just wanted to say hello and ask if you minded the Gerson’s boy uses your ATV next weekend.”

  ATV. Oh, God. I too, am a polluter.

  “Sis? It’s not like you’ve used it in three years.”

  “I know. Yeah, Boyd can use it whenever he wants. Thanks, Cash. I love you.”

  “Of course you do, ba—little sis.”